Welcome to Pull List everyone! What a great week in comics this time around as Image makes a strong showing and has a number of books I'll be picking up. Is this a strong week for anyone else in terms of books from smaller publishers? Let me know what you guys (and gals?) are picking up in the comments below, thank you as always for reading!

Saga #18

Man, this book went from 0-100 in quite a hurry! After BKV took his time moving the necessary pieces into place it all finally came to a head in one of the more explosive issues of the series to date. The action will be rolling over into this upcoming issue so expect the to remain as high as ever, with even more underlying tones that war is never black and white and that we will sacrifice anything to save the ones we love. In that vein, will another character sacrifice themselves to save a loved one?

East of West #9

The Ranger and Death are coming together in what should be an important meeting of two of this books most violent and deadly characters. The meeting will in some part be about Death continuing his quest to find his son but I'm sure The Ranger is curious about other goings on in this world. Meanwhile we learned about the unrest in the Union as the President has done whatever she can to quell the riots moving through her city so in this issue we could potentially see the problems in one of the other territories of the former United States, giving this world even more depth. Sometimes confusing but always entertaining, this has been a great series as Image continues its current run of top-notch titles.

Uncanny Avengers #16

Thor has finally accepted that he must redeem himself for his actions millennia ago that set in motion everything that has recently happened and first he must face-off against Uriel, the male member of the Apocalypse Twins. He has see his team members and friends die, as well as countless others, so surely he will be out for revenge but it's most likely that Uriel will make him remember how he is the cause of all of this which will make the fight that much more difficult.

Guardians pf the Galaxy #11.Now

The 'Trial of Jean Grey' continues as our intrepid heroes must intervene when civilizations across the galaxy wish to hold Jean (from the past) accountable for actions she herself has yet to even commit. Expect plenty of quips, great team banter and, most of all, another very solid issue of what has quietly become one of Marvels most consistently good titles month in and month out.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #30

The family continues to stay in Northampton and try to redevelop the relationship they had with each other before 'City Fall' and each member seems to be struggling with the idea they may be more divided than ever. What will it take to bring Leo back into the fold and will his brothers ever be able to accept a scenario where he is never again the turtle, and leader, he was before everything went down?

Thief of Thieves #19

This issue will see the end of Andy Diggle's run/arc on the series and things are looking bleak for Agent Cohen. Betrayed by her Italian counterpart, what could she have up her sleeve that will get her out of this jam? Perhaps Conrad will play a part her survival, getting something back in return immediately or making some kind of deal to help his son or a future caper down the road.

Superior Spider-Man #26

The secondary story about the Green Goblin building an army right under the nose of Spidey continues towards becoming the main story here and it all starts with the Green Goblin vs. the Original Hobgoblin. Meanwhile, the Avengers have again been called in to deal with the bizarre actions of their teammate and they clearly will not be happy he has re-embraced the Venom Symbiote. Will Ock finally be outed?

Green Team Teen Trillionaires #8

This series comes to an unceremonious end and although that is a bummer this series was never able to hit the high notes I had hoped for when it first launched. Art Baltazar and Franco are two creators I'm still very much a fan of and although they've had a bad run of luck as of late I'm confident it'll turn around. I'd like to remind everyone and anyone that if you have young readers you would like to get into comics their books Superman Family Adventures, Tiny Titans and (most recently) Itty Bitty Hellboy are all outstanding books for young readers that are also fun for adults!

Welcome to Pull List everyone! While we're all thinking about our favorite titles of the year (please let me know your favorites below btw!) let's not forget there is still one more week of releases in 2013 and it features a couple of pretty damn great ones from Marvel, DC and Image. Although still a limited overall list I'd say overall it's very strong lineup for every comic fan. Because I mentioned favorites from the year I should mention my own personal choices:

As stated above let me know some of your favorites of the year, I can't wait to read about them! Have a happy and safe New Year everyone, see you all on the other side!

Manhattan Projects #17

What better way to end the year then with quite possibly my absolute favorite book on the very last week of 2013? For months each member of the Projects has been working on one of four different mammoth experiments/plans and in this issue we will see them all collide with one another (as seen in the fantastic cover above) as Oppenheimer continues to keep the rest of his former teammates captive. A truly remarkable book that has continued well past its original idea and become something truly special in the world of comics, if you're making New Years resolutions for comics make sure one is to start following this book if you're not already doing so.

New Avengers #13.IHN

I have been waiting for this series to feature its fallout from Infinity since the last issue of the event and I cannot wait to see what Jonathan Hickman gives us. Have the rest of the members of the Illuminati figured out Black Bolt's scheme and if so what will they do about it? WIth everything that has been going on it will be interesting to see how this all affects their dealing with the incursions they've only just recently gotten a handle on as well as if anyone else knows about what they have been doing all these weeks. Although not as wonderfully light as some of Marvel's other highly rated titles this series, in my opinion, is second to none in terms of overall quality. Jonathan Hickman you mad genius, you've done it again!

Guardians of the Galaxy #10

Speaking of one of Marvel's other, lighter titles, Bendis's Guardians is one of the funnest (and funniest) books and hopefully this month we will see that run continue as the series moves past Infinity. Even during that event this series was able to have fun in the most dire of circumstances and it's that kind of attitude that has made it stand out from the rest of the Marvel fare and climb up my list of most anticipated titles from month to month. This time out we will see Angela and Gamora go hunting together so perhaps some further bonding between the two ladies of Star-Lord's team will take place:

Surely though there will be some great moments from each member in what will almost assuredly be another strong issue.

Superman Unchained #5

First thing, who else first thought Superman was about to have a duel with Gohan from Dragonball when first seeing that cover? Now, getting to more serious business, quite possibly DC's most gorgeous book hits shelves and this time out Clark and Wraith are teaming up to take the fight to Ascension. Will these two be able to combine their totally different outlooks on life, humanity and battle long enough to be victorious? Clearly these two are going to have an epic battle for the ages at some point in this series and even though it likely won't happen here it's great to see each character being further developed with each issue to really make the coming fight all the more intense and emotional.

Green Team Teen Trillionaires #7

Things have gone bad in a big way for the team and it appears they have now lost one of their own in the recent fighting. How will they move forward from this loss when they weren't even that strong of a team to begin with? Will the Commodore be able to rally his friends to focus on the task at hand and survive their ordeal or will even more be lost? Last issue was an uptick in quality for this series so I'm hoping they keep the momentum going and keep improving here.

Welcome everyone to another edition of Mega Pull List! A grant total of thirteen titles will be making up my pile this week including an impressive eight from Marvel alone (while only one from DC). So many great books this week, including quite possibly the best in the business as well as the conclusion to the so-far-fantastic Infinity event and a couple of smaller publisher titles that have me very excited. Anyone else picking up more then ten books this week, or even more? Let me know in the comments below as well as what I should also have my eye on. Even though I may not be able to pick up more single issues from week to week I'm always looking for new trades to grab and add to my library so please let me know!

Saga #16

It's Saga. Only sixteen issues in and this title has already received a number of top awards for the medium as well as recognition from almost very comic website out there (and a number of non comic sites to boot). If you love comics your reading this title. If you are not a fan of comics I'm shocked you're reading this blog to begin with (but thank you!) and let me say you should do yourself a favor and create a Comixology account and buy every issue of this series immediately and get caught up! This is the cream of the crop people, hop on!

Infinity #6

First off I'd like to say that even though it's corny I love this cover:

Although a bit odd in how separate the two stories within this even have been, the assault by the builders and the invasion by Thanos, I have loved every issue of this story and cannot wait to see how everything comes to an end with this issue and where things may go from there. I doubt we will see the end of the Earth but who knows what kind of damage Thanos can inflict before he is ousted from the planet (physical, metal and/or emotional). I'd love to know what other people have thought of this story and Hickman's approach to doing a big Marvel event!

Hawkeye #14

Although not as "fun" as it once was this is still a pure masterclass in storytelling from a writer who clearly has a passion for the main character. In this issue however we will be getting a follow up of sorts to the Hawkeye Annual from a few months back that focused on Kate and her misadventures in L.A. with Pizza Dog. Has she established herself as a crime fighting force on the west coast or did her early bad luck doom her mission before it even began? I for one cannot wait to find out!

New Avengers #12

With the main Infinity storyline wrapped up it's time to turn to the aftermath for the Illuminati! What has happened to their planet-destrying weapons stockpile? Will Cap remember what he once was apart of only until just recently? What about Black Bolt? The Inhuman king has certainly seen better days and now with his city destroyed, his people exposed and many of his loved ones gone what he does next just may be the most important question in the entire universe. With the 'Inhumanity' story on the horizon expect this issue to have many hints about where all this is going but I look forward to seeing how all these happenings will effects his membership in the universe's most dangerous club.

The Massive #17

The Kapital is set to face against a tribe of traditional whalers in what is turning out to be a very thought provoking arc. After the Crash has altered the majority of the planet the whales these people hunt are one of their only sources of food and supplies. There are also more whales then ever and these people only need a handful a year in order to survive. Is Callum right to stand his ground and challenge them to stop what was once perceived to be an unnecessary and barbaric way of life?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #28

City Fall has been great so far and with this issue we see the thrilling conclusion between Shredder and the Turtles with the fate of their city at stake! Leo is showing signs that The Foot is losing influence over him and he is remembering Splinter is his real father while Shredder's daughter has brought Beebop and Rocksteady to the party just in time for the final battle. With all of the NYC underworld in attendance we'll know once and for all just who is in control and if all this adversity has really brought the TMNT as close as they need to be in order to survive this test.

Uncanny Avengers #14

As this story has unfolded over the last handful of issues it would seem that the Apocalypse Twins are simple unstoppable. They have defeated their cruel adoptive father Kang and seem to have been miles ahead of Havok and his fractured team on their way to moving all mutants to a place where they have no need to fear humans. Meanwhile Wolverine is as close to death as he has ever been and Scarlet Witch has agreed to help the Twins with their plans to save mutant kind. The finale this story is building to is getting harder and harder to wait for but if his Uncanny X-Force run is any evidence it is definitely worth holding out for.

Wolverine and the X-Men #38

So SHIELD has an army of Sentinels at the ready to deal with any future unknown mutant problems? Well that just doesn't sit right with Wolverine and now that 'Battle of the Atom' is over he's going to show them what he thinks of their secret plans. Wolverine has been incredibly dedicated to the safety of his students so this new threat must not sit well with him at all and I feel bad for anyone who gets in his way as he deals with this new problem.

All New X-Men #19

The X-Men from the past have a new home, new uniforms and a new mission now that 'Battle of the Atom' is over but what of Kitty Pride? As she continues to figure everything out her friends from the past will have to be there for her if she is going to have as smooth an adjustment as possible. She stood up for them in their greatest time of need so what will they do during hers?

Indestructible Hulk #16

After an up and down time traveling event where things happened I cannot begin to summarize here we're moving on to 'The Humanity Bomb' prelude. It seems there's a new deadly "something" going down but this time Banner will not be able to smash it away so he will have to rely on his brain in order to help. This series started out an Bruce wanting to be known more his smarts then his other side but over time things have gone back to everyone relying on the Hulk more than anything else so maybe here he will get a chance to prove himself better then the other great minds of the Marvel Universe.

Thief of Thieves #18

Conrad has found a small notebook and he sure looked happy to find it at the end of last issue. What secrets does it contain? Finding the book was clearly part of his plan so what's the next step for him and his crew? Seeing just how influential and deadly the man he is attempting to steal from is Conrad had better be completely on point with everything or else he and his team are in for a long and painful death.

Superior Spider-Man #22

It's been a while since Venom showed up in a Spider-Man book but all that looks set to change...

What will Flash Thomson think of the Superior version of his hero? The AMAZING Spider-Man was the reason Flash got his life together, joined the military and eventually donned the venom suit so it will be great to see what this new Spider-Man will do to his perception. Will he also feel this is not the right person under the suit? While he was able to get the title of 'Doctor' before his name things are quickly aligning against Otto and his disguise as Peter so we will just have to wait and see how long he can hold out before it all becomes too much to overcome.

Green Team Teen Trillionaires #6

With a meteor on a collision course with Earth and time running out it looks as though a member of the team will have to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save everyone. Although this series is still struggling to find its footing I maintain hope that Art Baltazar and Franco will eventually get this book firing on all cylinders as they've done with every other book of theirs that I have read.

Welcome back to Pull List everyone! A bunch of great books this week but right now I want to talk about books I am not picking up now but will definitely be grabbing in trade down the road. The first, and the one I'm most excited for, is Samurai Jack by IDW. Cartoon Network criminally did not allow this series to finish on its own terms so it has come to comics to finish what Genndy Tartakovsky started all of those years ago. Tartakovsky has come back to do the covers for the series(!!!) and character designer from the original series Andy Suriano is on interior art duties so if you were a fan of this cartoon this book should seamlessly continue a story that was cut short when its television run ended prematurely. The other title is Velvet by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting who worked together (and became Marvel legends) on Captain America so another story set in the dark and gritty world of spies and secret agents should be an absolute home run. I have always enjoyed Brubaker's work in trade form (Criminal, Fatale, Gotham Central and Incognito) as these spy stories I just seem to enjoy in larger doses. Anyone out there picking these number one's? Let me know what you guys are shelling out for this week in the comments below!

Daredevil (aka Red Batman) #32

Mark Waid has woven the issues riled up by the Trayvon Martin into his current storyline as it deals with the massive influence the Serpent Society has gathered in the city right under Matt's nose. This book has just not stopped being great pretty much since its inception and with every new layer Waid and Samnee put on their story it not only serves to new a great tale on its own but also builds upon everything that came before it. Though it may not be the best jumping on point that is no reason to not pick up this book at at point.

Marvel NOW What #1

Starting with a great cover and continuing with a very cool concept, this title looks to be continuing in the footsteps of Marvel's 'Strange Tales' books from a couple of years ago with wacky, off-center takes on the line's most popular characters. See Captain America get cat fished, Thor and Storm get married and a number of other sure-to-be smile inducing stories by comedy writers paired up with Marvel's best artists. I'm completely sold, the only question I have is will this be the only issue or maybe something ongoing?

Massive #16

Trying to put as much distance between themselves and New York City as possible, the crew of the Kapital it seems have come across a rogue group of Whalers who see their practice as no longer barbaric in the new, post-crash world. What can Callum do to stop these men who have been at this practice for centuries? With everything that has happened to the planet have the old ways become the new ways in order to survive? Brian Wood continues to do fantastic creator-owned work and if this is a series you enjoy I highly recommend you check out DMZ to witness one of the best stories the medium has to offer.

Uncanny Avengers #13

A new group of Horsemen have been called up by the Apocalypse Twins and now it is time for one of them, The Sentry, to kill an Avenger! Meanwhile the Twins have travelled to a different time to take revenge upon their father Kang and after succeeding who can possibly hope to stop them from achieving their goals? Tightly written with outstanding dialogue and artwork that fits the mood and tone of the story, Rick Remender remains on a role with the story he has been telling since Uncanny X-Force.

Indestructible Hulk #14

The Hulk continues his time traveling antics and this time he's going back to a certain Gamma bomb explosion that changed the world. What have the Chronarchist's done to bring him here? It would appear they are attempting to defend themselves by forcing Hulk to undo his own origin in order to stop them and this sounds like an amazing twist on the current arc and I cannot wait to see what Banner has to say as Hulk possibly gives him a future where there is no "Other Guy".

Wolverine and the X-Men #37

It wouldn't be a week in comics without another chapter in 'Battle of the Atom' right? A recently healing factor-less Wolverine has taken a massive blow from his future son and he is now helpless as the battle rages on on the grounds of his new school. Marvel is promising a surprise ending that changes everything so expect some major changes for the team; past, present and future.

Justice League #24

This title rolls on despite the fact that currently the members of the League as we know it are all gone. Somebody has to have filled the vacuum left behind and in this Forever Evil tie-in we find out who they are. What could their mission possibly be and in the world of Forever Evil what will Black Adam have to say about all of this?

Red Lanterns #24

Like Marvel's 'Battle of the Atom' it seems a week cannot go by without an issue of the 'Lights Out' event. Last we saw the Green Lanterns were heading to the home planet of the Red Lanterns to talk to Guy Gardner about finding a solution to stopping Relic. I'm not sure if Guy is the same Lantern he was when Hal asked him to infiltrate the Reds months ago however and this might make the whole working together thing a bit more difficult and throw a wrench into what may be the last shot the Lanterns have at saving the universe.

Green Team Teen Trillionaires #5

An asteroid is hurtling towards Earth and the Green Team sees this not only as an opportunity to save the planet but make a tidy profit in the process (why not have even more money right?). There is no way this plan is going to go as smoothly as they want it to, the only question is how bad things could possibly go and will this stop them from stopping the asteroid and saving the planet? More money, more problems I suppose right?

Welcome to Pull List everybody! I'd like to start off by apologizing for there not being a List last weekend but there were some unforeseen issues. I was on my honeymoon in St. Lucia and while my wife had gone off to receive a massage I was going to put out a very abridged version of my pickups (that was all the time she was allowing for me to do it lol) but through the resort's wi-fi, that I paid $43 for just for this purpose, for some reason would not allow me to log in to IGN no matter which way I tried to and I was unable to post anything relating to my account. I was very frustrated but it happens and I just want to apologize and let it be known I haven't gotten lazy and decided to stop what has become something I look forward to doing every week. On a side note I will say that if you're a fan of tropical islands St. Lucia cannot be beat and despite the frustration early last week it was still an amazing trip I'd go back in a heartbeat.

New Avengers #9

Earth is being invaded and who else should be on the frontline besides the Illuminati? Despite the incredible power of the invading force one can never doubt the abilities of a group that has already accomplished as much as they have under Jonathon Hickman's watch. After a lengthy buildup and strong opening this is my most anticipated title that is being tied into Infinity and has little doubt it is going to live up to the hype.

Itty Bitty Hellboy #1

I have made it very well known in the past of my love for Franco and Art Baltazar's 'Superman Family Adventures' and now the duo are moving on to another favorite series of mine: Hellboy. Throughout this series' run Hellboy has wonderfully told famous and not-so-famous myths, fairytales and stories for different cultures around the world so having a series depicted in the vein of 'Family Adventures' and 'Tiny Titans' sounds like an absolute home run for both older and younger readers.

The Massive #15

With Brian Wood's past work as an example it's no surprise this series has become one of my favorites since he has moved the narrative into his favorite setting, New York City. With one of their former crew members now on the loose with a submarine armed with nuclear missiles the mission for Callum and his remaining team has become to find him and stop him at all costs. After escaping from a force (that may or may not be the US Navy) trying to hijack their ship the Kapital have retreated deep into the city, where pavement has given way to massive flooding. Will they be chased into these dangerous waters and what does this mean for their search for the sub?

Batman/Superman #3

So it's Batman and Superman vs. Batman and Superman?! What will the repercussions be for both the regular DCU and Earth 2 when these mighty forces meet each other? It's clear that an outside force has brought these four together but so far they have been unable to figure who and why up to this point. The art has been bold and different but has also worked tremendously so far for me up to this point and I am really excited to see what happens as we more forward with this title.

Uncanny Avengers #11

Not to be outdone by Hickman's Infinity event, Rick Remender continues to carry on the threads of his 'Uncanny X-Force' run here in Uncanny Avengers and so far it has been a glorious thing. The Apocalypse Twins continue their march towards mutant evolution and domination and with Avengers team divided as they are at the moment they stand no chance against their enemy and that could lead to curtains for the human race.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #25

Say it ain't so Leo! The unspoken leader of the TMNT has been brainwashed by Shredder and his Foot Clan into believing Splinter and his brothers are actually the enemy and now they are marching on with their mission of taking control of the city. Before the Turtles can save their home though they must save their brother and that means they must continue to grow as a team in order to make up for the one that that have lost. Perhaps Casey will be able to get back into the game soon and help his adopted family but even with him involved it's no exaggeration to say they have their work cut out for them going forward.

Wolverine and the X-Men #35

The Hellfire saga comes to its conclusion and once again Wolverine finds himself squaring off against Mystique and Sabertooth at the Hellfire Academy to not only rescue the students taken from him but to exact violent revenge on the headmaster, Cade Kilgore. If Logan is successful in freeing the students that left the Jean Grey School what will he do to Quentin (especially) and Idie for their actions? This has been an entertaining arc which has kept the series fresh after an impressive number of issues which is a testament to the high quality work of Jason Aaron throughout.

Justice League #23

The Trinity War concludes but something tells me that will not be all that happens in this finale by Geoff Johns. What is inside Pandora's Box and, more importantly, do our heroes want to even find out? Although not as universe-encompassing as I thought it would originally be that's actually been a good thing as it has let other books in the DC lineup do their own thing while the titles they wanted to involve have each gotten a fair shake in the story. Exciting times are coming for DC's flagship series and this finale looks to be the beginning of something even bigger on the horizon.

Secret #3

Freaking awesome...

I have been eagerly waiting for the next issue of this series for months since the last one was released earlier this year (although it may have actually been last year). To put it simply this series has the same feel as Robert Kirkman's 'Thief of Thieves' but with far more at stake (like you would expect from a book by Hickman). Secrets are flying around the security company at the center of everything so far and after only two issues but so far that has been just fine.

Uncanny X-Men #11

After a number of speed bumps it seems as though Scott has finally been able to set up his new Xavier school and training is now underway. What is his long term goal with these students though? Cyclops has made no secret of his long term plans for the defense of the future of mutant kind so with this be less of a school and more of a boot camp? If so was this really Charles Xavier's goal, training with no teaching? Either way I'm sure the new students will be happy to finally get the school going rather then putting their lives on the line without any kind of training whatsoever.

Deadpool #15

Deadpool is calling in the assistance of BOTH Wolverine and Captain America when something from his Project X past comes back to haunt him. It must be a serious threat as heroes of their caliber normally wouldn't give Wade the time of day but I'm happy they are as there is a lot of joke potential with this team-up. Although I don't expect this group to stay together for this new, five-issue, arc I still think this should be a very funny issue and I'm hoping to enjoy it very much.

Batman Incorporated Special #1

One of these things is not like the other.

There is a lot to say about this special focusing on the whereabouts of Batman Inc. since the official end of the series a few weeks ago but there is only one story that you need to know is happening. Bat-Cow makes her (yes, HER) solo debut in a story written by Dan DiDio and even if it is only for a few pages that is worth the price of admission alone. A number of different writers and artists working are working on this title and with a five dollar price tag it should be a pretty beefy issue as well. Maybe this will be the launch point for a Bat-Cow ongoing?

Thanos Rising #5

Although a week or two after the official start to Infinity we get the completion of Thanos' rise to who he now is and why he is now playing such a large part in the current event. I've enjoyed learning more about a character I do not have much experience with and although I saw the 'twist' last issue coming pretty much the whole way there has been a good balance of feeling sympathetic for the character as well as knowing that deep down he is a truly disturbed and deranged individual that probably no matter what was going to be this evil being no matter how he went about his life.

Green Team Teen Trillionaires #4

The rich kids are again in for the fight of their life with Riot as well as the one who has had it out for them since the series began, and who we have yet to identify. Will the Commodore have any other surprise tech up his sleeve to help save the day or will another member use the opportunity to show off something cool? Although not what I expected from the creative team I have still been entertained by this book and in relation to the rest of the DCU it has an air of lightness to it that is happily welcomed.